Pop culture is ephemeral.
People eventually lose interest in music and television shows once a new fad surfaces and piques their interests. Not so for Seinfeld. It is still relevant after 25 years for a whole new generation of viewers.
But, it wasn't always that way. In the beginning, it didn’t test well with audiences. It had weak ratings, bad scheduling and creative differences. It survived under the wing of a lone NBC executive who believed in the show's emphasis on characters who felt like family.
Seinfeld chose to defy the standards of typical sitcoms, creating its own template, and sparking debate about what it was even about--a show about nothing, or everything. Seinfeld knew us better than we knew ourselves.
This hour, we celebrate Seinfeld.
Listen to thoughts from Seinfeld fans on the street, gathered by WNPR intern Allison Ehrenreich:
What do you think? Comment below, email Colin@wnpr.org, or tweet @wnprcolin.
GUESTS:
- Roger Catlin is a blogger and freelance writer living in Washington, D.C. His work appears in several publications including The Washington Post and Salon.com. For many years, Roger wrote a blog called TV Eye for the Hartford Courant
- Andy Robin is a former writer and producer for Seinfeld
- John O'Hurley is an actor, television personality, and author. He was the host of the game show Family Feud. He’s the author of three books including “It’s Okay to Miss the Bed on the First Jump,” “Before Your Dog Can Eat Your Homework, First You Have to Do It,” and "The Perfect Dog." He won the Screen Actors Guild Award for his portrayal of Elaine Benes’s boss, J. Peterman, on Seinfeld
